Rohit Sharma’s defiant 73 went in vain as India surrendered the three-match ODI series against Australia after losing the second game by two wickets here on Thursday (October 23, 2025), a setback that will reignite the debate on the proven match-winner Kuldeep Yadav’s omission from the playing XI.

Under pressure, Rohit mixed grit with grace in a 97-ball knock on a spicy track that formed the cornerstone of India’s total of 264 for 9 which was at least 25 short of what should have been a par-score.

In reply, Australia struggled against Indian spinners but with Nitish Reddy being shoe-horned as a multi-skilled player instead of a genuine match-winner in Kuldeep, the visitors paid the price in a close situation.

Cooper Connolly (61 not out off 53 balls) and Mitchell Owen (36 off 23 balls), two cricketers, who are also appearing for IPL auditions, flayed the pacers and spinners alike as Australia survived a late collapse to canter home in 46.2 overs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series.

The duo added 59 in just 6.3 overs to end Australia’s three-series losing streak in the format. The ongoing rubber will end in Canberra with the inconsequential third ODI on October 25.

Connolly, who was recently in Kanpur for an ‘A’ series, brought back memories of a certain Michael Bevan to finish the match by finding the gaps with ease in a pressure-cooker scenario.

In the process he also exposed how difficult it could get for India in the 2027 World Cup if the obsession with all-rounders is not reconsidered.

Reddy, coming in at No.8, scored 8 off 10 balls and gave 24 in three overs although in his defence, Axar Patel dropped a sitter offered by Matthew Short (74), who laid the foundation for Australia’s victory.

However, the absence of Kuldeep was felt more than ever when the Australian batters struggled against the two finger spinners.

Axar Patel (1/52 in 10 overs) just slowed the pace and shortened the length as Matt Renshaw (30) gave the charge to be bowled.

At the other end, Washington Sundar (2/37) had an impatient Alex Carey (9) trying to sweep and getting bowled in the process.

However, once the burly Mitchell Owen came into the scene, he smashed the daylights out of Harshit Rana (2/59 in 8 overs) to tilt the game decisively in favour of Australia.

Earlier, the Indian innings was about Rohit’s determination and he had to survive a lot of anxious moments in the Powerplay when Josh Hazlewood (0/29 in 10 overs, including two maidens) made the ball talk.

There was a point when Rohit had played 17 consecutive dot balls off Hazlewood and both him and Iyer looked overtly cautious due to the underlying moisture and lateral movement.

While Rohit fought, Virat Kohli was dismissed without scoring for a second consecutive game.

He was shaping for an outswinger but Xavier Bartlett got one to move in sharply after pitching and the maestro was caught plumb in front.

While leaving the ground, he acknowledged the fans at Adelaide, a venue where he has scored multiple Test hundreds and a World Cup century against Pakistan.

For Rohit, the first 50-odd balls were about consolidation and keeping the bat close to his body, trying to leave the deliveries on the length and taking a few on the body.

The only positive shot in that phase was a flicked boundary over square leg off Mitchell Starc.

The first time one got a glimpse of vintage Rohit was when he played back-to-back customary pick-up pulls off Mitchell Owen’s friendly medium pacers.

India got 17 from that over and with Iyer also rotating the strike with an upright stance, the scoreboard suddenly saw movement and momentum.

The innings was, however, far from silken smooth.

It was about a veteran, who wanted to make his naysayers eat humble pie. He was ready to grind it out and look ugly initially before eventually opening up.

The 2027 World Cup is still far but what Rohit intended to prove was that there is still some fuel left in the tank.

Once the initial phase was negotiated, Rohit didn’t look in any kind of discomfort. The slog sweep and inside out boundaries off Zampa reminded one of his salad days.

There was enough time for a 33rd ODI hundred but the swivel off his hips while trying to deposit Starc over the square leg boundary became his undoing.

While Rohit got much-needed breathing space, Kohli continued to be under pressure and left the ground raising his fist for the Adelaide spectators who probably saw the last of him.

It is not the first time that Kohli has scored consecutive ducks, but it seems that the intensity that added to his legend has diminished considerably.

Published – October 23, 2025 08:56 am IST

File photo of Australian bowler Matthew Kuhnemann.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Australia’s captain Mitchell Marsh speaks to media ahead of the first international ODI cricket match against India in Perth on October 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Captain Shubman Gill poses with the trophy ahead of the first ODI against Australia in Perth on October 18, 2025. The first ODI will be played on October 19, 2025. Photo: X/@BCCI

Australian team pose for a photo in the dressing room after reclaiming the Bordewr-Gavaskar trophy by defeating India 3-1 in Sydney.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Late on Sunday night, Mitchell Starc and some of his teammates got into a sports utility vehicle and left the Sydney Cricket Ground. The celebrations in the Australian dressing room stretched long and spilled onto the turf. Some ambled near the ropes and a few went close to the pitch.

Reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade, the host has to thank the players who made this possible, and above all respect is owed to Pat Cummins. He bagged the wickets (25), scored vital runs (159), led well and Australia won by a 3-1 margin.

The Indians, meanwhile, had left the venue in the evening. They have enough to chew upon, grapple with and crease their foreheads. Commencing their tour with a 295-run victory in the first Test at Perth, the force was with them. The warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI at Canberra was pocketed too, before the campaign unravelled.

The Adelaide pink-ball Test was lost, and rain and the lower order secured a draw in Brisbane. And when R. Ashwin retired, the squad was in churn. The script turned morbid through a terrible last session and the Melbourne game was squandered. Finally at Sydney, even after snatching a four-run first innings lead, an inept second innings, despite Rishabh Pant’s fireworks, meant that Australia had an attainable target. An injured Jasprit Bumrah’s absence was a ghastly blow to India’s chances.

If one man had a large bearing on how India shaped up through this series, it was Bumrah, who also led in the first and fifth Test. His 32 wickets, till a back-spasm laid him low, meant that the Australian batters never felt they were fully settled at the crease. Every media interaction would involve a ‘Bumrah-question’ and the answers would range from shock to awe.

Among his support cast, Mohammed Siraj ran in all day. His effect may have varied but he has 20 wickets to show. The reality is if India capitulated eventually, a large share of the blame has to be apportioned to the batters. Skipper Rohit Sharma failed miserably, while Virat Kohli, after a ton at Perth, developed a fatal attraction around the off-stump. The former even skipped the last Test.

Meanwhile, with their bats, Yashasvi Jaiswal (391 runs), K.L. Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pant, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, had their moments. However, these were sporadic. A youngster like Shubman Gill going through a drought is also a cause for worry.

Coach Gautam Gambhir spoke about converting the 20s and 30s into big hundreds. However, this line-up seemingly lacks players, who can bat inexorably long. It was an attribute that Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Cheteshwar Pujara had. In all this talk about momentum, the fine-print about a draw being a honourable result was forgotten. If Melbourne was drawn, India would have reached Sydney at 1-1, and anything could have transpired.

Chairman Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors have to figure out the nucleus of the Test squad, starting with the England tour from June, later this year. After 2013, when India moved on from the Tendulkar era following his retirement, the present is another tipping point. There is no masking this grim truth, even if the glories secured in limited overs cricket, can be blinding at times.

Washington Sundar celebrates the wicket Marnus Labuschagne on day 1 of the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne on December 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Minutes before the fourth Test commenced at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on Thursday (December 26, 2024), India stirred the news with some radical selection calls. Shubman Gill was dropped, Washington Sundar was preferred and there were hints about Rohit Sharma surfacing in the top-order.

After the first day’s play, it was assistant coach Abhishek Nayar’s turn to offer his rationale behind India’s choices: “Looking at these conditions and the pitch, having Washi in the bowling attack will give us that variation, especially when the ball gets old. After the 50 overs, we felt that was an area we wanted to get better at. We felt Washi could give us that solidarity with Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja), especially with Travis Head and Alex Carey getting runs lower down.”

Explaining further, Nayar said: “Rohit will come up in the order and more likely than not, he will open the innings. Unfortunately for Gill, he had to miss out. He understands it’s the team’s requirement and it’s unfortunate, but I wouldn’t say that he has been dropped. It’s just unfortunate that he couldn’t find his place in this game.”

Nayar then acted coy when asked about the episode involving Virat Kohli and debutant Sam Konstas: “Honestly, I don’t know. We were having a conversation outside. I am not aware of what happened, why it happened and if anything happened. But when you play a game like that, there will be emotions, but I am pretty sure that it’s not as big as it seems.”

Konstas drew praise too when Nayar added: “We saw him in the Prime Minister’s XI game when he got a 100 against us. We knew what we were up against. It’s always refreshing to see someone come and play good cricket, whether that’s our team or the opposition. So, credit to him.”

Virat Kohli, right, talks to Australia’s Sam Konstas, as Australia’s Usman Khawaja, looks on during play on the first day of the fourth cricket test in Melbourne on December 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Fiery shots on the field, soft words off it, and a wisp of a moustache, constitute the style quotient of Sam Konstas. The 19-year-old, who lit up the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with his rapid 60, faced the media after setting up a nice base for Australia here in the fourth Test on Thursday (December 26, 2024).

His first utterance had a sense of wonder: “It was quite surreal with the big crowd, the biggest crowd I have ever played in. The boys welcomed me, so I just played with that freedom and backed myself and was lucky to get a few runs. Obviously, disappointed with the way I got out but hopefully we got a bit of momentum.”

In the cauldron of international cricket, Konstas had to deal with the rough edges too and one such was when Virat Kohli’s shoulder brushed the batter’s and angry words were exchanged. “I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me. I think that’s just cricket, just the tension,” the opener said and seemingly doused the fire.

Probed about his assault on Jasprit Bumrah, Konstas explained: “He is a legend of the game so I was trying to put a bit of pressure on him and it paid off. But he took three wickets and changed the momentum. In that contest with him, I was trying to take his lines away. It was the first time I was facing him, getting used to his action, and obviously he beat my bat a few times and it was a great contest.”

Elaborating on the ramp shots and scoops, Konstas added: “Yeah, definitely premeditated especially with the pace but just tried to keep my head still and just watch it hard. Got a few away today and it changed the field, which was good.”

File photo of Australia head coach Andrew McDonald.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

In the season to be jolly, Sam Konstas has found his Christmas gift. A Test debut for Australia in a Boxing Day Test Melbourne is a huge step and the host’s coach Andrew McDonald confirmed to the media that the 19-year-old will pair up with Usman Khawaja atop the order.

Explaining the rationale behind picking Konstas in Melbourne on Tuesday (December 24, 2024), McDonald said: “We had said leading into the summer that age was no barrier. What he (Konstas) has shown is an array of shots, the ability to put pressure back onto the opponents. He gets his opportunity and we are really excited for him. Boxing day, the biggest stage (Melbourne Cricket Ground), you might as well get that one out of the way early. We want to throw a different challenge at India. We believe Nathan (McSweeney) is good enough for Test level but we weren’t sure about how the top order was functioning.”

The Australian coach also felt that Travis Head, nursing a niggle, is good to play: “I am pretty confident he will play. He looked good with the bat in hand. His skills are in good order. He had a small strain in the quadriceps but he has been able to do his running. I think he will be fully functional for the game.”

With the series level at 1-1 and the fourth Test all set to start on Thursday (December 26, 2024), McDonald offered his analysis: “Every game starts afresh. Both teams have similar challenges at the moment. Both bowling attacks have been on top and I think this wicket potentially might offer the batters a little bit more as the game stretches. But yeah I am not a big believer in history repeating itself so it starts afresh.”

The coach also backed Khawaja: “Usman is not a concern. I think the way he is preparing, the runs will come. Batting obviously in recent times has been quite difficult with ball dominating bats. Good players always return to the runs and I am sure that will be the case over the next couple of Tests.”

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah are seen during the inspection of the pitch at MCG in Melbourne on December 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

In a tiny press-conference hall located in the basement of the massive Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rohit Sharma kept nodding his head. Even before the correspondent had finished enquiring about his left knee, the Indian skipper said: “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

The batter had suffered a blow during Sunday’s training but on Tuesday (December 24, 2024), Rohit was in good shape. If there was clarity on this issue, he preferred to keep the scribes guessing when asked about whether he will stay in the middle-order: “Who bats where is something that we need to figure out within ourselves. It’s not a thing which I should be discussing at every press-conference.”

Stepping into the fourth Test with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series level at 1-1, the visiting captain said: “We played some really good cricket and we have been fortunate as well. Nobody wants to give up until the last over and this is an attitude we have carried for a long time. Obviously in Adelaide (second Test), we didn’t play well. And then at Brisbane, only 180 or 190 overs were bowled. After three Tests, if I had to look at it as one-all, it is a fair reflection.”

Looking ahead at the last two contests, starting with the fourth Test in Melbourne from Thursday (December 26, 2024), Rohit said: “We want to break it down to just Melbourne and focus on what we can achieve here. Bat well, bowl well, and take some good catches.”

The skipper was quick to back Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj: “Jaiswal has already shown what he is capable of, and with that kind of a guy, you don’t want to tamper with his mindset.” And on Gill, Rohit added: “These tours can be challenging and it is not easy to put up big runs. Gill understands his batting well, just got to make sure that when you get those 30s and 40s, you try and get a big one.”

With Siraj being in Jasprit Bumrah’s shadow, there have been the odd query about the former’s relevance, and Rohit was quick to counter: “Siraj has really shown great attitude on this tour.” As for Pant, the skipper said: “He has a good record in Australia and just after three Tests here, it is not right to judge.”

When asked if he has any advice to a ‘modern-day great’ like Virat Kohli, Rohit quipped: “Modern day greats will figure their own path.” Later when probed about including spinner Tanush Kotian, Rohit clarified: “Tanush was here a month back and Kuldeep (Yadav) I don’t think has a visa. Jokes apart, we wanted somebody here quickly. Tanush has done well in the last two years and we wanted a back-up in case we need two spinners here or in Sydney.”

Rohit also praised Bumrah: “He knows exactly what he is doing. The impact he has had on this series is massive.” And soon it was time for the skipper to join his teammates at training.

With skipper Rohit Sharma struggling to decipher a way to score runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former India coach Ravi Shastri says the stylish batter should go in with a clear mindset, change his tactics, and attack the bowlers.
| Photo Credit: AP

With skipper Rohit Sharma struggling to decipher a way to score runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former India coach Ravi Shastri says the stylish batter should go in with a clear mindset, change his tactics, and attack the bowlers.

Rohit missed the opening Test Down Under to be with his family for the birth of his second child. He was expected to reclaim the opener’s spot but KL Rahul’s impressive 77 in India’s win at Perth prompted a rejig of the batting order with Rohit moving down to No.6.

The change though has not been fruitful for Rohit as he has managed 10, 3 and 6 runs in the last three innings, while Rahul has encashed on the opportunity by notching up a fine 84 in the first innings at Brisbane in the third Test.

“I would like to see Rohit Sharma, his tactics change a bit because he can still be extremely dangerous at that number (six),” Shastri opined on ICC Review.

“I think he’s got to be very clear in his mindset to go out there and take the attack to the opposition and not worry about anything else,” the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Shastri felt Rohit should shun the defensive mindset.

“The last thing you want is him to be in two minds whether to defend or attack. In his case, it should be attack. He picks up length quickly, he should take the opposition on at that number.

“Because if he gets away in the first 10-15 minutes, in any way, he’s not got past that 15-20 minutes, half an hour. So why don’t you play a natural game, go and take the attack to the opposition and take it from there?” Shastri felt it’s the best way for Rohit to get back into form and win games for India, adding that the best No.6 batters in the world are those who have the ability to counter-attack.

“I think that is his best way of not just coming back into form, winning a game for India as well. Because that number is a crucial number.”

“The best No.6s in the world are the guys who know how to have the ability to counter-attack. They read the situation well. Yes, if a lot of wickets have fallen, maybe for a little while. You might have to be circumspect, but the intent has to be far sooner than later.

“Especially when you have that kind of ability and especially when you open the batting for India and you have all the shots for Australian conditions.” Rohit had made his Test debut in 2013 at No. 6 position, marking the occasion with a century.

Shastri backed Rahul to retain the opener’s slot in the fourth Test following his two half-centuries so far in the five-Test series.

“I would have asked him (Rohit) to open in the last Test match (Brisbane) but then the way Rahul has batted, he was a joy to watch and the way he’s batting, I believe he struck a purple patch,” Shastri said.

“It could be a position he might just want to keep and enhance the way he’s playing because his technique was faultless,” said Shastri.

The former India captain said Rahul was currently at the top of his game and his confidence level too was very high.

“The way he left the ball, the way he allowed the ball to come onto the bat, some of his cover drives were as good as any played by anyone in world cricket at the moment. And so I think when there’s that much confidence there, you know, let it be.”